Winter Musings
by jully123
Summary: One-shot. Kagome contemplates her life and the paths she has taken.


AN: I was looking through my story folders and I came across this story. I honestly don't remember the plot I had planned for it. I re-read it and realized that it could act as a stand alone fic. I hope you enjoy.

Winter Musings

It was a surprisingly odd experience to wake up and not feel the warms rays of the rising sun on her face and smell the cool fresh breezes on the wind. That settled thing, it had been far too long since she had returned. She turned on her side on her twin bed and peered at the clock. Only 5:36, she could see the morning sun peeking through the curtains. She had hoped to sleep in but her body told her it was time to wake and greet the day.

She got up and got ready for the day. She picked her clothes carefully for the cooling weather. She quietly made some breakfast for herself. No need to make anyone else suffer for her ingrained habits. As she ate she made a list of things she would need. The cooling weather had made Inuyasha let her go back to pack winter supplies. It was getting colder in the feudal era. She had thought that the snow and sleet would make Inuyasha decide camp in the village for the winter so she could spend some time with her family but no. Not even the thought of frostbite and hypothermia could slow him down.

Though she and the others had already started to feel the cold, the stubborn hanyou had his youkai blood to ward off the chill for now. He complained of their human weaknesses but did not fight all that hard when she requested a trip home to refresh supplies and gather winter clothes. She brought herself out of her drifting thoughts and looked over her list. It was mostly winter clothes and things she knew was in stock. Some of it though she would have to go shopping for. She silently padded up to her room and packed away what was readily available on her list to make sure she would have to make a second trip.

Once that was through, she grabbed her wallet and set out to the shops. It was barely 7 o'clock but the stores should be open by the time she finished walking there. She thought over how routine this had all become. Was it just last year that she had called it quits with school and spent a whole two months in this era to study and take her high school equivalence test? Barely scraping by but passing none the less. Here she was seventeen years old going on thirty. She just felt so tired of the back and forth. She wondered what she would do if the journey were ever to be completed. Would she be able to live in just one era? Would she be able to handle it, if she was stuck to one era or the other? Never to see her family, chosen or not, again.

Though she had not admitted it aloud in her heart of hearts she felt that there was only the feudal era left for her. Her life in the modern era was not much to look forward to. She would most likely not make it into a good college and due to her frequent absences she had been labeled of ill health and not likely to be reliable. Her prospects seemed bleak. Plus when she was here she felt stunted and she had found that the noise and smells gave her head aches after a while. The things she ate had a certain flavor that made her feel nauseas. The chemicals and smog would get to her. She guessed she had gotten used the clean air and organic foods of the feudal era.

She reflected on the other changes that the other time had brought on her. Clothing for one, the comments had finally gotten to her when she had wondered into the wrong part of a large village and a young lord did not want to take no for an answer. Luckily Inuyasha was able to save her, but she realized what her short skirts made other people think in that era. That situation had also made her think of all the ruined school uniform she had cost her mother. The uniforms were probably costly and here she was wearing them all the time and her momma never commented on the expense. This insight was what made her decide to test out of high school. It eased her mother's expenses to not have to pay for schooling she couldn't even attend.

After the two month Inuyasha ban he hadn't let her come back for a long while. So she was surprised when her mother handed her a checkbook and card when she returned. Apparently her mother had put the money she saved into a joint account for her. She told Kagome it was the money her father had left for her schooling so she could as she pleased with it now that she didn't have to go to school. She thanked her mother and told her she loved her.

She now wore long pants, long skirts, or a simple kimono. As this thought occurred to her she looked down at her clothes and flushed when she realized she was wearing one of her kimonos to shop. Too late to go back now, at least this one was simple and in good repair. Her hair was up in a bun and she had a large basket in her arm. Goodness, what she must look to the others. She decided not to care. The store came in to view and as she predicted a clerk was just unlocking the doors. She walked right in and placed her wicker basket into one of the buggies and set off into the store. Due to many experiences with this store she was able to find what she needed quickly.

She dawdled for a moment looking for some things to bring back to the others. She soon paid for her purchases and was out the door. The basket was heavy with her purchases but nothing she couldn't handle. The cashier had looked at her funny when she placed everything into her basket to carry instead of the plastic bags but the basket was easier on her hand than the thin bags. She could hear and see the traffic start to build up as people hurried to get to work. As she grew closer to the shrine the sidewalks started to grow congested with busy looking salary men and students going about their day. She could just feel the beginnings of a headache building as she saw the shrine steps come into view.

She hurried to them and made her long trek up. When she walked into the house she smelled the breakfast her mother was making and hears the sounds of activity in the house. She hurried up to her room and packs away the gifts, medicines and her other purchases. She went downstairs to spend the rest of her morning with her family. She helped her mother in the kitchen, helped send her brother off to school, and helped her grandfather sweep the shrine grounds. She would go back to the others at noon. Despite the cleaner air on the shrine grounds she was eager to go when noon rolled around. She changed into some warmer clothes as it had looked as if it were going to snow when she left the others last night. She grabbed her bag and said her goodbyes to her family and jumped into the well.

She was right about the snow. She was standing in a good four inches of it and could see more falling into the well at a slant so she knew it was even deeper up above. She mounted the ladder that had been put in quite some time ago and ascended up to the lip of the well. She did not wonder where the others were for she wouldn't want to be out in this either. She placed her feet gingerly to the ground to test the stability. It was surprisingly deep for one night of snowing but the weather would behave how it liked. She set off for the village in high spirits. Though it was bitingly cold the air was fresh and crisp. She could feel the former pounding headache slowly dissipate as she made her way to the village.


End file.
